If Life Were Easy
by NykGrimm
Summary: Okay, so your getting married. No big deal. Except that you don't even like the girl, or girls in general. Oh yeah, and you think that maybe, possibly, you just might be in love with your tailor of all people...


If Life Were Easy...

* * *

It was almost complete. Just one last paperclip and he would finally have completed his paperclip unicorn. After three meticulous hours he would finally be able to step back and look at it with some accomplishment. Not that he should, considering he spent _three hours _working on a _paperclip unicorn_.

But as he tried to stick the last clip in, the entire thing fell apart. Sighing, Grimmjow ran his hand through his long teal locks, frustration evident on his face. Business was slow as usual, the shop completely empty. It wasn't like he was asking for a lot, just a few people to help pass the time. It had already been almost a year since the shop had started up. He was surprised he was even able to keep it.

Sliding all of the paperclips into his desk, he closed the drawer and walked out to the front of the shop. It wasn't anything special. Just a small shop on the corner of the street, a few mannequins out in front of the window, a table to cut fabrics, cloth coming out the wazoo. Nothing you wouldn't find at any other tailor.

Glancing out the window, he could have sworn he spotted something orange. Picking up his glasses from the counter, he quickly looked out the window to find that there was something orange out there. And it was attached to a person's head. Well how about that. He wasn't the only strange one in this town.

What surprised him more than the orange hair though, was the fact that, what he now found to be a young man, was walking towards his shop. He almost wanted to ask him if he was sure he was in the right place, but considering he might be getting work, he figured it didn't really matter.

When said young man walked through the door, he couldn't help but stare at some of the suits and dresses hanging around the room. Some were more intricate than others, but mostly they were simple and elegant. Nothing so over the top it made you want to shield your eyes.

"Can I help you?" Grimmjow asked, pulling the young man out of his stupor.

Glancing at the tailor, the orange haired stranger couldn't help but notice just how handsome he was. Long teal hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, a suit that showed every defining muscle without looking too tight or too small. This man was a god.

Ichigo was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts when he realized he was staring...and probably drooling. Fortunately the tailor hadn't seemed to notice.

"Uh...yeah," he said shyly. "I've got this ball in a few days, and I need a tux, but my old tailor decided that it wasn't worth staying here because he wasn't being paid enough, so he followed some 'lover' to France. Personally, I don't think it was a lover, I think it was his sugar daddy. But who am I to judge?"

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow at that. Either someone was really nervous, or they had some mental issues they needed taken care of. He prayed to whatever god was listening that it was the former.

Shrugging, Grimmjow said. "What do you need?"

"Uh...I don't really know. He just said 'Look nice, wear a tuxedo'."

"Look around. See what you find and let me know," the teal haired tailor said, sitting behind his cutting table.

Nodding, the red head turned, surveying the selection. Slowly he began circling the room, picking out small details, flaws, and feeling at the different fabrics, oblivious to the eyes following him. But it wasn't creepy...just...curious.

Finally, after observing almost everything in the shop, he'd come down to two tuxedos. One had a black coattail with a reddish black waistcoat and a simple white dress shirt. The other had a long suit jacket and blue waistcoat with another simple dress shirt. The tailor really seemed to have a thing for simple. Not that he was complaining.

Grimmjow glanced up, noticing the dilemma the young man was having "I could combine the two if you'd like."

Ichigo glanced at him, wrenched from his thoughts. Suddenly his face brightened up and he said, "Really?!"

The teal haired man nodded, shaking away thoughts of just how cute the young man looked. "It'd be a dust jacket and a coattail mixed together."

The young man looked confused.

"A really long coattail."

He blinked. "Yeah, moving on..."

Rummaging around in one of the drawers in the table, Grimmjow pulled out a tape measure, some paper, and a pencil. Sticking the paper and pencil in his pocket, he walked over to Ichigo, unrolling the tape measure as he went.

"Arms up," he said, and Ichigo complied. Reaching around the young man, Ichigo couldn't help but noticed how nice the other smelled. He also couldn't help but freak out a little. "What are you doing?!"

Grimmjow stared at him. Wasn't it obvious? "Measuring."

"What? Why?"

Grimmjow looked at him like he was crazy. "For this suit. I'm damn good but if you want it to fit I can't just shoot in the dark."

Ichigo tried hard not to blush. It worked. Mostly. "Right."

After taking a few measurements, he quickly jotted down some numbers on the paper he'd brought with him. As Grimmjow moved down to measure his waist, he couldn't help but notice how well the younger was built. Not bulky, but not stick skinny either.

But as he moved lower, Ichigo was having to deal with other issues. Here was this hot guy down on his knees in front of him, touching him. Not in the way he'd like, but it was still...weird. The last time a hot guy touched him had been entirely too long ago. It had been his best friend that he'd been in love with. They'd gotten drunk and had sex and the next morning his friend had freaked out and hightailed it out of there. It had really stung too.

Jotting down the last few numbers onto the piece of paper, the teal haired man stood back up. Running through the numbers, he asked, "How long until this ball of yours?"

"Four days."

"Come back in two and we'll go from there."

Nodding, Ichigo turned and left. Tossing the paper onto the table, Grimmjow meandered among the shelves and pulled down a few fabrics before laying them beside the paper. Pulling out a fitting model, he quickly got to work.

It had taken a while to cut the fabric and pin it together, but by the time he had it all done, he found that it was quite dark outside. He could get around to the actual sewing tomorrow. After all, he still had two days.

* * *

When Ichigo arrived back home, he was immediately greeted by Orihime, Rukia, Matsumoto, and a large group of other women, all vying for his attention. He only half smiled at them though, still thinking about the tailor he'd met today. It was just two days right? It wasn't really all that long...why was he worrying about it in the first place?

His thoughts were interrupted when his father came bursting through the front doors of their mansion. "Ichigo! You've come back! How did it go!"

"Well, your tailor apparently skipped town, but I was lucky enough to find another one."

"Another one?" he laughed. "There's no way he'll get one done in just four days."

"He told me to go back in two."

"Oh? And I suppose he can spin a room full of straw into golden thread overnight."

"I don't see why not."

"Well," his father sighed. "As long as you have a tux for the ball. By the way, are you feeling alright?"

Ichigo stared at him in confusion. "Yeah, why?"

"Because you seem a little off."

"I'm fine, he replied," almost toppling over as one of his little sisters tackled his waist. He hadn't been gone all that long... "Probably just tired."

Isshin nodded. "Then you should go rest! We can't have you passing out in the middle of the day! Especially with all these beautiful women around! Alright girls, say goodbye to Ichigo."

The large band of women immediately whined, but each said their goodbyes, all trying to get his attention. Matsumoto was the last and she smiled at him before curtsying and walking away. Ichigo had to admit, if he was to have feelings for any of them, Matsumoto would definitely be it. While she could be reckless and very tomboyish at times, she never fought tooth and nail for his attention. She was someone he could depend on.

Too bad he was gay. Not that his dad would ever know, hell no. All hell would break loose if that ever happened. Mostly because he was hellbent on finding Ichigo a nice woman to marry and settle down with. And what was really disturbing is he was leaning towards Orihime. This isn't to say he didn't like Orihime- he did actually. Just not in the way his father wanted. Sure, she was nice, incredibly nice. Just...kinda...really crazy. Like ADD, peanut-butter-on-meatloaf kinda crazy.

Heading inside, he made a beeline for his room. He could hide out there for a while without being disturbed. Especially with everyone thinking he was sleeping. And maybe then he could figure out why he was so attracted to Grimmjow.

Locking the door to his room, he lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Ok, so Grimmjow was definitely attractive. The way his long hair fell into his face, and glasses had always been a turn on for him for some reason...and it wasn't like was overly bulky or anything. Somehow he was...perfect? Was that the word? But he didn't say a lot. Though he had to admit, the guy had a sexy voice. He could listen to him for hours.

But what he really wanted to know was his personality. Was he shy? Outgoing? Did he even like people? Was that why he was so quiet? Was he alone? Maybe he could invite him to the ball...stupid ball. He didn't see why he had to go. His dad was excited that his sister Karin (who was even more tomboyish than Matsumoto) had actually found somebody she liked, so he was throwing a huge ball. Like he always did over the stupidest (and sometimes most embarrassing) stuff. Like when Karin first learned to use the toilet by herself. No one needed to know that.

Sighing, he kicked off his shoes and rolled onto his side. Maybe he would try and get some sleep.

* * *

The next day couldn't seem to go by fast enough for Ichigo. He wasn't sure why he was so eager to see Grimmjow again, he just was. Or maybe he really wanted to see the suit...no. It was definitely Grimmjow.

He spent the entire day attempting to talk to the women around the mansion. They showed up practically every day, each trying to prove that she loved him more. Which was ridiculous really, seeing as none of them knew anything about him.

But as day two finally arrived, he found himself fidgeting and glancing at the clock every two seconds. Finally fed up with waiting, he headed out the door and down the street. If he was early, well...there was stuff to do around there.

He passed quite a few people on the way, and when he finally did arrive, he was surprised to find it open. But he didn't see the tailor.

Walking inside, he could hear someone rummaging around in back of the shop. "Um...hello?" he called out.

There was a loud thud. "Shit!"

Suddenly Grimmjow's head poked out from behind the wall separating the rooms. He looked surprised to find Ichigo there so early. "You're here."

"Uh...yeah. You told me to come back in two days so...I'm here," he replied, watching him shift something around before pushing his hair out of his face, coming out to the front room.

"I wasn't expecting you here so early."

"Yeah well...the early bird gets the worm and...all that...lame...stuff..."

Grimmjow stared at him. "I'm not quite sure what worm you're talking about. There's no one else here."

"Yeah, but I'm sure you'll be busy later."

"Nope."

"You don't have anyone else you're supposed to be working with?"

"No. If you haven't noticed, I don't exactly get a lot of business around here."

"But why not! This is all so amazing!" he said, gesturing to the clothing lining the store.

"Because, believe it or not, not many men are secure enough in their masculinity to surround themselves with thread and fabric. There are some buttons in the back with kittens on them-they just scare the shit out of guys."

"But kittens are cute!"

Grimmjow stared at him. "Did you ever have any masculinity?"

"Once I think, in the third grade. Yep, those were the good old days... But I still like cars, so it could be worse."

Grimmjow blanched at that comment.

"Don't look at me like that, I swear my sister probably had something to do with it."

"Right, blame it on the girl."

"Have you seen my sister?"

He arched a brow. "Should I? Is she like, freaky buff or something?"

"Ew. No. She's only twelve, which makes a really creepy mental image that has now scarred me for life. Thanks."

"Sure," he said, pulling out the fitting model he'd been working on the night before. Pulling the fabric off, he motioned to a small room off to the side and said, "Try this."

Ichigo stared at the cloth in his hands and couldn't help but marvel at the way it felt against his skin. And he hadn't even put it on yet!

Closing the door behind him, he stripped down and managed his way into the new tux. The pants were a little long, but everything else fit perfectly. How the hell do you manage that? Did Grimmjow have magical tailor powers? Three cheers for magical tailor powers.

Walking out of the room, he found Grimmjow sitting behind his cutting table. "I have one question."

"Hm?" he asked, looking up from whatever he'd been looking at only to stare at the young man. That suit fit almost perfectly and accentuated every feature. Sometimes he wished he wasn't so good at his job.

"Do you have magical tailor powers?"

"Oh _yeah_" He replied, rolling his eyes. "Of course I do. They were a gift from the tooth fairy. Of course now I owe her my first born child but, hey, she's the one missing out..."

"Ha ha, very funny."

"Stupid questions deserve stupid answers."

"There are no stupid questions, just stupid people."

"Apparently."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You tell me. You're the one calling yourself stupid."

Ichigo thought for a moment and realized that he had indeed called himself stupid. Why hadn't someone stopped him from saying that out loud? Was this some kind of punishment for something? Maybe this was one of those things where you always act stupid in front of the person you like...but he hardly knew Grimmjow!

So did that mean he was just stupid?...Like, all the time? For no reason? That had to be it. There was no other reason, nothing else to rationalize his behavior and yet that was just...so sad...

"If you're done moping, why don't you tell me how it fits?"

"Well...the pants are a little long...but everything else fits fine."

Grimmjow stood and knelt in front of him, try to gauge how much he would need to hem the pants. It didn't look like he'd have to do much. "You sure everything else fits?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Uh...no reason," he said, unrolling the pant leg. "It shouldn't take long to fix. You can either stay here or come back another time to pick it up."

"I'll stay."

The teal haired man stared at him.

"What? It's not like I've got anything else to do."

"And that's why hanging out at a tailor's is the sensible thing to do?"

"Sensible? Maybe not. But the weatherman called for rain."

Glancing outside, Grimmjow noticed there wasn't a cloud in sight. Maybe the people at the news station were finally losing it. He was surprised it hadn't happened earlier. I mean, who the hell enjoyed a job at the news station? That was the kind of place you went to work when everything else turned you away. Or you were already insane.

"Whatever blows your skirt up."

"What makes you think I have a skirt?"

"Remember that conversation we had earlier about masculinity?"

"Yeah."

"That's why."

"Just because I'm not masculine doesn't mean I go prancing around in a tutu like a ballerina...I take that back."

Grimmjow gave him a curious look.

"I've been told I did that when I was three. It scared half the staff and I got locked in my room for a week."

"_That _is why you have no masculinity." Ichigo scowled at him, but didn't say anything further. "Take the pants off."

Caught off guard, Ichigo could do nothing but blush and stutter. "W-what?"

"Pants. Off." he said, standing up. "I can't fix them if you're still in them."

"Oh..um...okay," he blushes and takes them off, growing very quiet. "I'm...gonna go find _my _pants now."

Grimmjow hummed, examining the pants. He picked up his glasses and walked to his table. When Ichigo came back, he found him pinning them up. Standing at the other end of the table he asked, "Do you like your job?"

"Sometimes," he replied without looking up.

"And by sometimes you mean..."

"I'm not doing anything most of the time, but what little of my job I do, I like."

"So what do you do the rest of the time?"

"Make paperclip unicorns," he mumbled to himself.

"What?"

"Nothing. Sit around mostly."

"Well..." he hesitated. "If you're that bored, why don't you come to the ball with me?"

Grimmjow stopped. Looking up at Ichigo, he asked, "What?"

"The ball. In two days. Why don't you come?"

"A...ball," He repeated slowly, rolling the word around on his tongue. "Like a...Cinderella ball?"

"Yeah, kinda."

"Kinda?"

"Well, my dad is insane and decided that every tiny thing we accomplished needed to be celebrated somehow. Like when my youngest sister first learned about sex. Who the hell cares?"

"So...you're celebrating sex?"

"No. My other sister found someone she likes and he's going insane like he normally does."

"So it's a Cinderella ball for your sister."

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Why not just take your girlfriend?"

"Because I don't have one. That and I don't like these things and I'd rather go with someone I know."

"I've known you for all of what...two days?"

"Yeah, well...I don't know any of the girls either. Plus you're not trying to scratch other people's eyes out."

"I could. I've been told I'm very catlike."

"I like cats, remember?"

Sighing, Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair. There were three things wrong with this scenario: one, this whole thing sounded really gay. Two, his family sounded retarded. And three, this sounds suspiciously like a date...which he supposed wouldn't be really all _that _bad. The young man did fascinate him.

But it'd been a long time since he'd last opened himself up to someone and he wasn't quite sure he was ready to do that again. Especially with a complete stranger. Maybe he was just blowing things way out of proportion. He didn't really know that Ichigo was gay, especially when he talked about all those girls. Yeah...he was just blowing it out of proportion. But that didn't mean he was going. He absolutely loathed things like that and it would take a hell of a lot to get him to go.

"So...you wanna go?"

"No."

"Why not?" he asked. Grimmjow noticed that he seemed...disappointed?

"I hate those kinds of things. I don't exactly like people."

"And I do? Hell, if I had a choice, I wouldn't be going." Grimmjow gave him a bored look. "If it makes you feel any better, there's gonna be alcohol."

"Do you have any idea how much alcohol it would take to get me to a _ball_?"

"The twenty or so gallons that are gonna be there in two days?"

Well, if nothing else, he could always just drown himself in alcohol. Alcohol makes everything better, bacon did almost the same thing. The only difference was you couldn't act stupid and you didn't get a hangover.

"So...will you go?"

He sighed. "Fine."

Ichigo smiled.

And that was how he found himself in his current situation. Standing in the corner of a huge ballroom with a small crowd of girls surrounding him, trying to remember why he'd agreed to come. Looking at the glass in his hand he remembered. Alcohol.

If he thought he felt awkward before, that was nothing compared to now. At least nobody paid him any mind before, but ever since Ichigo had come up to talk to him, people began staring and muttering. Not exactly the most welcoming feeling in the world.

In a vain attempt to distract himself, he started looking around at people's attire. Most of the women's dresses had sparkling things hanging from them. Unnecessary sparkling things that could probably blind someone in broad daylight. Good thing they weren't made for everyday attire. The men, on the other hand, had strange ruffles on their shirts. So he hadn't been far off when he'd called this ball gay.

Managing to make his way through the small crowd of young women, he'd almost made it to the door when Ichigo stopped him. Again. Why was he so insistent that Grimmjow stay?

He had no time to ponder this further because the young orange haired man had brought them to a halt in front of a strawberry blonde with...rather large boobs. She seemed rather shy and unlike most of the other women, she wore something that actually covered her. Maybe she wouldn't be so bad.

"This is Inoue Orihime," Ichigo said, motioning towards the girl. The teal haired man bowed stiffly, still unused to his suit. It'd been a long time since he'd worn anything like it.

"And this," he said, motioning to Grimmjow. "Is Grimmjow."

Orihime curtsied. "And...how do you know each other?" she asked shyly.

"Grimmjow is the one that made my tux."

The strawberry blonde smiled brightly, "Oh! It's really pretty!"

Grimmjow fidgeted nervously. This was why he was glad that while he got some business, it wasn't a lot. He didn't take praise well. He wasn't sure why, he just didn't. "Thanks," he mumbled.

Excusing himself, he made his way to the alcohol, downing a few glasses of champagne before hitting the hard stuff. If he was going to be here all night, he might as well make the most of it.

Making his way back to Ichigo and Inoue, glass in hand, he noticed the slight blush on her face. Oh yeah. She definitely had a thing for the Ichigo.

Quietly clearing her throat, Orihime caught Grimmjow's attention. "Um...I have a party in a few days and...uh...it's formal. I was wondering if..."

"What kind of dress are you looking for?" he interrupted. The faster he got this over with, the better.

"Nothing complicated...just something simple and elegant enough to pass."

Grimmjow stared at her, sizing her up, trying to figure out what would look the nicest. Green would definitely be a good color for her. A halter with a snug bodice that flared out at the hips a little would go well with her figure. If he cut it off just above her knees it would have a nice flow when she moved. Now getting the measurements right was going to be a bitch.

"Um..." Orihime shifted nervously, not quite sure what he was thinking.

"Green."

"What?"

"Green." He repeated. "It's a good color for you."

Ichigo chuckled beside him. "You weren't lying when you said you weren't a people person, were you."

"You thought I was?"

Ichigo shrugged and Grimmjow downed half the scotch in his glass. Maybe they had vodka here...or sake. Sake was always good. Then again there was always tequila...

Turning back to the strawberry blonde he said, "Come by in the next few days so I can get your measurements."

Inoue smiled brightly and agreed. Grimmjow walked off.

The alcohol was starting to kick in and boy was he glad. For the last ten minutes he'd been wanting to jump out a window it was so bad, but he was sure that if anyone saw that they'd probably lock him away. But now he was feeling lighter, giddier. Maybe tonight wouldn't be so bad after all.

As he downed the rest of his drink, another small group of girls (a few of them dragging their dates along) crowded around him and began chatting. It started off small, the usual how's the weather crap, but as they started feeling more comfortable around him, real conversation started. With all the alcohol he had in his system at this point, Grimmjow was having an easier time being around people.

Ichigo, on the other hand, was still trying to get away from his usual horde of young women. When he managed to get a glimpse of Grimmjow, he found that he was...smiling? Holy crap, did he just laugh?! He did...and the orange haired young man found that he wanted to see him do it again. Only...not around so many people. Hell, he wanted to see him laughing all the time. But because of him, not some weird bimbo his dad had invited.

Pausing at the thought, Ichigo realized who he was thinking this about. Someone he'd known for only a few days. What the hell was wrong with him? Maybe it was the alcohol...or he was just nervous and needed some way to distract himself...yeah...it was the alcohol, which meant it was time to leave.

When he finally managed to hunt his father down in the midst of the crowd, he told him he was leaving.

"What?! But it's still so early!" he cried, throwing his hands up into the air.

"Yeah...um...I'm not feeling well," he said, feigning ill.

His father eyed him suspiciously but said, "All right. We don't want you getting sick in front of the guests. But at least say goodbye to your sister."

Ichigo nodded and left. Karin had been in the same spot all night, so she wasn't hard to find. As soon as he told her he was leaving, she gave him the super I-hate-you glare. That was one of the many ways they were alike. They both hated these things with a fiery passion. Too bad that fire couldn't burn down the ball.

He should probably find Grimmjow and tell him he was leaving as well...

Forcing his way through the small crowd, he tapped Grimmjow on the shoulder. "Hm?"

"Grimmjow, I'm gonna go. I'm not feeling all that well," he said, motioning towards the door.

"I'll go with you!" he said happily. Wow...drunk Grimmjow was really...happy. It was kinda scary actually.

"No, it's alright."

"You made me come, now you're gonna abandon me?" he asked stumbling a little. Ichigo managed to catch him before he fell. Well shit. He couldn't abandon him if he was drunk. Who the hell knew what would happen? But he didn't really want to be around him at the moment either...damn it.

Sighing, he nodded and lead Grimmjow outside. It was too far to take him back to the shop or wherever the hell it was he lived, so it looked like the teal haired man would be staying at the house for the night.

Ichigo had to half drag Grimmjow back, which wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that he kept giggling. Do you know how weird it is to listen to Grimmjow giggling? It doesn't work.

When he finally made it back, Grimmjow had all but collapsed in a fit of giggles. Good thing no one was home. Carrying him upstairs, Ichigo set him down on one of the beds in the spare room. "You'll be staying here tonight Grimmjow."

"Ok," he replied happily. God, he had no idea how hot he looked right now. Slight blush (even if it was due to alcohol), spread out on the bed, his long hair framing his face. Ichigo blushed at the thought. What the hell was wrong with him? Sure he'd been attracted to other guys before, but this...this was just weird. He'd never thought about any of them..._that _way before.

Shrugging it off, he moved to get off the bed when he felt something grab at his jacket and pull him back. "Don' go Ichi..." Grimmjow whined. Wow...could this night get any weirder?

Trying to pry his arms off, Ichigo said, "Come on Grimmjow, let go. I want to go to bed too."

The older shook his head and hugged him tighter. "You can sleep here."

"No, Grimmjow I-" with all the pushing and shoving he was doing trying to get the other off, Ichigo had fallen off the edge of the bed and pulled Grimmjow with him. Unfortunately he landed on top. And he was not light.

When Ichigo opened his eyes again, he saw just how close their faces were. And how big the grin on Grimmjow's face was. This could not be good. "Grimmjow, get off."

"No," he drawled, leaning his forehead against the younger's. Ichigo turned bright red and started trying to push him off again.

"Come on Grimmjow, seriously I-" he was suddenly cut off by a pair of lips pressed against his own. It took him a minute to realize what was going on, but when he did, all he could think was: WHAT THE FUCK?!

* * *

Ok, so Redfaerie gets her credit for this chapter like always. And just as she requested, she gets special credit for the peanut butter meatloaf comment.

This fic actually started because i needed something to do and I asked a friend to pick out of the summaries I had planned out. She was very insistent about the tailor fic. This was the reaction she gave me:

OH! A TAILOR! i like the tailor one! the tailor one! lemme know how it comes. thats a freakin bitchin ass tailor. idea...for a story. taaaailor. cant you just imagine wonderweiss saying that?  
tell me when this one comes out it sounds HELLA good

This was the reaction she gave Redfaerie:

BUT THE TAILOR! the tailor! taaaaaialoooor! grimmjow's a tailer! tailor! its hella good! i loved it. tailors! tailors are freakin sexy man. i love male tailors. theyre the perfect male, and they sew

So I hope you enjoy!

-Mr. Grimm


End file.
